Saturday, June 3, 2017

(For decades, local historian and paranormal investigator
George “Buster” Singleton published a weekly newspaper column called “Somewhere
in Time.” The column below, which was titled “Wolves threatened Monroe’s
settlers” was originally published in the June 10, 1971 edition of The Monroe
Journal in Monroeville, Ala.)

During the middle 1800s, timber wolves were quite common in
and around the Pine Orchard community. In fact, they were so plentiful that the
settlers in the area trapped the wolves, trying to wipe them out because of the
damage they were doing to their livestock and chickens and maybe the people
themselves.

The timber wolf is considered one of the smartest of all
animals in existence today. Very alert and one of the hardest animals to
capture, the wolves were indeed a prize when killed or captured by local
citizens.

Much time and work went into making one of these wolf pits.
They were dug in the ground to a depth of about six feet. The width was about
four feet and the length about eight feet. The sides were cut smooth so the
wolf could not climb out once he was caught. The top was covered with a wooden
door fastened on an iron rod or small pole exactly in the middle so as to
balance it. This top or cover would turn either way, if the least amount of
weight was placed on either end.

Before the trap was complete, a piece of fresh meat was
placed on the trap door. The meat had to be fresh because a timber wolf will
not eat spoiled or poisoned meat. After the meat had been placed, leaves and
twigs were then scattered around and on the trap door. All traces of man had to
be removed before the area was considered ready for the capture of old lobo.
The wait began, each trapper hoping his work and efforts had not been in vain.

I’m sure that there were many who were disappointed. But
there were times when their labors paid off and there was one less wolf around
to harass and worry the settler, whose survival problems were many.

All that remains of the wolf pits are a few rotten timbers
and half filled holes in the ground. One has to know the locations in order to
find them; they are easy to pass by. This story, like many others that one
hears around the country, have not been chronicled before. There are no records
that one can refer to, only the word of the respected citizens that has been passed
down to him from earlier generations, and so on.

My thanks to David McClammy, who helped make this story
possible.

(This column also contained a photo of an old wolf pit by
Monroe Journal photographer Aaron White. The caption beneath the photo read as
follows: All that remains of the wolf pits are a few rotten timbers and half
filled holes in the ground.)

(Singleton, the author
of the 1991 book “Of Foxfire and Phantom Soldiers,” passed away at the age of
79 on July 19, 2007. A longtime resident of Monroeville, he was born on Dec.
14, 1927 in Marengo County, graduated from Sweet Water High School, served in
the Korean War, lived for a time among Apache Indians, moved to Monroe County
in June 1964 (some sources say 1961) and served as the administrator of the
Monroeville National Guard unit from 1964 to 1987. For years, Singleton’s
column “Somewhere in Time” appeared in The Monroe Journal, and he wrote a
lengthy series of articles about Monroe County that appeared in Alabama Life
magazine. Some of his earlier columns also appeared under the heading of
“Monroe County History: Did You Know?” He is buried in Pineville Cemetery in
Monroeville. The column above and all of Singleton’s other columns are available
to the public through the microfilm records at the Monroe County Public Library
in Monroeville. Singleton’s columns are presented here each week for research
and scholarship purposes and as part of an effort to keep his work and memory
alive.)